QUICK NEWS, 1-17: WIND SHARES THE WEALTH; FOOL’S GOLD FOR REAL SUN; IRISH NAT GAS BUYS TIDAL POWER; NEW SCHOOL FOR NEW ENERGY

WIND SHARES THE WEALTH
Wind farm payouts approach $3 million; Energy developer payouts used to offset local taxes
Colleen Kotke, January 12, 2011 (The Reporter)

"Local municipalities are profiting from the wind. While many residents in Fond du Lac and Dodge counties live nowhere near the turbines dotting the landscape, the revenue stream from the towering towers is helping to offset increases in property taxes.

"Last year, owners of Wisconsin’s four largest wind energy projects paid out nearly $2.8 million in rent to landowners hosting turbines and payments in lieu of property taxes to local governments…Fond du Lac County, which is home to 166 wind turbines, received a revenue payment of $625,000. Dodge County received $296,000 in payments for hosting 85 wind turbines…"

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"Towns and counties do not collect property taxes from wind turbines but instead receive payments based on the generating capacity of each turbine, allocated under a formula adopted by the state Legislature in 2003…[C]ounties retain two-thirds of the [total revenue paid] while townships hosting the turbines receive one-third. Payments to those local governments in Fond du Lac and Dodge counties will reach almost $1.6 million for 2010.

"Wind energy developers negotiate lease agreements with landowners to host turbines on their property. Payments can be as high as $7,000 per turbine each year. Estimated rental payments to all Fond du Lac and Dodge county landowners will total slightly more than $1.2 million for 2010. Property owners hosting the 88 wind turbines in the Blue Sky Green Field wind farm in townships of Marshfield and Calumet divvied up a total of $440,000 paid to them by WeEnergies…{Payments help] keep rising property taxes in check…"

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"Invenergy issued $516,000 in payments last year to Fond du Lac County and the townships…Property owners leasing land for the 86 wind turbines shared $430,000 in income…Both government and landowners in the townships of Eden and Empire received $477,000 from Wisconsin Power & Light…Every little bit of income helps, especially when state shared revenue dollars keep decreasing and municipal costs keep rising…

"Michael Vickerman, executive director of RENEW Wisconsin, said the revenues from the wind farms help support farm families and rural Wisconsin communities…While many neighboring landowners are still unhappy with the presence of the wind turbines… hosting landowner[s] don’t complain…When calculated over a 20-year contract period, total revenue is expected to exceed $60 million…"


FOOL’S GOLD FOR REAL SUN
Fool's gold catches eye of solar energy researchers; A UC Irvine team thinks iron pyrite could be a cheaper alternative to the materials now used in making solar panels.
Tiffany Hsu, January 14, 2011 (LA Times)

"Iron pyrite — also known as fool's gold — may be worthless to treasure hunters, but it could become a bonanza to the solar industry.

"The mineral, among the most abundant in the earth's crust, is usually discarded by coal miners or sold as nuggets in novelty stores…But researchers at UC Irvine said they could soon turn fool's gold into a cheaper alternative to the rare and expensive materials now used in making solar panels…"

Cheaper thin film materials could bring the cost of solar down. (click to enlarge)

"The UCI team believes the mineral can be processed into a thin film for use in photovoltaic cells, and could eventually convert sunlight into electricity…Though it's too early to estimate the cost of cells made with pyrite… they're likely to be cheaper because fool's gold is so readily available. A prototype could be ready within the year, but it could be at least three years before the cells are commercially available.

"Some industry analysts, however, are skeptical…To be successful in the market…scientists have to replicate the carefully controlled conditions of a laboratory in a factory capable of producing hundreds of thousands of panels a year, at a cost that can compete with Chinese prices."

Bringing a thin film to market is a complicated matter. (click to enlarge)

"The U.S. solar photovoltaics industry is worth at least $2 billion and growing, but not much of the cell-making process occurs domestically. Existing types of cells, such as cadmium telluride and amorphous silicon, use materials that are either very scarce, potentially toxic or not especially efficient.

"And other materials such as indium — about $300 a pound — are in high demand for use in touch screens and other tech gadgets. These so-called rare earth elements are available only from a single U.S. mine in California or from China, which is clamping down on exports of the material."


IRISH NAT GAS BUYS TIDAL POWER
Irish gas supplier invests $2.6 million in tidal power
Clara Byrne, January 12, 2011 (VentureBeat)

"Bord Gáis Energy, Ireland’s main supplier of natural gas, has just invested $1.3 million in OpenHydro, which manufactures tidal energy systems.

"Tidal power converts the energy of the tides into electricity using turbines attached to the ocean floor. OpenHydro and Bord Gáis Energy have also formed a joint venture to build a utility-scale tidal farm, with a generation capacity of around 100 megawatts (MW), off the coast of Ireland. A further $1.3 million will be invested upon the completion of certain milestones in the tidal farm development. OpenHydro is already developing a 200MW tidal farm…off the northern coast of Scotland."

A rising (or falling) tide turns the OpenHydro device. (click to enlarge)

"Tidal power projects have been in operation since the 1960s but tidal power has traditionally been considered high cost in comparison with other forms of renewable energy. Additionally, the number of sites with sufficient tide velocities is limited. Wave power, which converts the motion of waves into electricity, is also not widely deployed. PG&E is currently testing new wave energy designs off California’s coast.

"…In 2008 [Bord Gáis]set up an alternative energy research and development fund of $13 million. In 2009, Bord Gáis acquired…179 megawatts (MW) of operating wind farms and 450MW of development projects to be built over the next five years."

WaveBob for wave energy (click to enlarge)

"Ireland has been investing heavily in renewable energy, mainly wind power, in recent years. One report estimates that the Irish wave energy resource could generate more than 6,000 megawatts of power, the equivalent of the nation’s peak electricity demand. The tidal energy resource is considerably smaller but could still supply 6 percent of the nation’s energy, based on 2010 consumption figures. The Irish government has a target to bring 500 MW of ocean power (wave and tidal) online by 2020.

"Irish companies like Wavebob, Ocean Energy and Open Hydro are among the world’s leading developers of wave and tidal technology. Wavebob recently received a grant of $2.4 million from the US Department of Energy to prepare for a commercial-scale wave energy demonstration project planned for US waters in 2013…"


NEW SCHOOL FOR NEW ENERGY
Ecotech Institute Opens Its Doors to New, Progressive Facility in Aurora; New School Features Wind Turbines, Solar Panels, Car Charging Stations, Solar Trees, Cutting-Edge Labs and More
January 15, 2011 (Ecotech via PR.COM)

"Ecotech Institute, the first and only college focused entirely on preparing America’s workforce for careers in renewable energy and sustainable design…[opened] its brand new facility…in Aurora, [Colorado]…[T]he school has transformed a vacant, large-footprint building into a progressive campus focused on educating future leaders in the ever-growing green landscape…[T]he third quarter commenced [in mid-January] in the new facility with almost 200 students enrolled.

"The building is home to 30 classrooms, 12 state-of-the-art computer and science labs (e.g. electrical, wiring, solar, wind safety, controls, environmental science), studios, student and faculty lounges, a library, and a variety of other amenities…[T]he building incorporates energy and resource savings throughout…"

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"…[It includes twelve] polycrystalline rooftop photovoltaic solar panels with a system capacity of 2.8 kilowatts…Integral thin solar technologies [with a capacity of 9.4 kilowatts] embedded into the glass of the front building canopy…Eight small wind turbines mounted on the roof to generate up to 4.8 kilowatts of electricity…

"…[It also has a] Vertical Axis wind turbine that can generate a total capacity of 4 kilowatts…Two solar trees, each providing 16.9 kilowatts of electricity…Energy efficient lighting that will reduce energy consumption by 30 percent below standard lighting energy levels…Water sense, low-flow fixtures in lavatories…Motion sensors and a programmed schedule to limit lighting in unoccupied rooms…"

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"Ecotech Institute, which is accredited by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools, offers seven highly practical degree programs and one certificate program that provide graduates with skills that are highly valued by today’s renewable energy employers…

"…[They are] Electrical Engineering Technology, Associate of Applied Science…Energy and Environmental Paralegal, Associate of Applied Science…Energy Efficiency, Associate of Applied Science…Environmental Technology, Associate of Applied Science…Renewable Energy Technology, Associate of Applied Science…Solar Energy Technology, Associate of Applied Science…Sustainable Interior Design, Certificate Program…Wind Energy Technology, Associate of Applied Science…Applications are being accepted now. Financial assistance is available…"